Last week, just as the bellwether fall sales of Impressionist, Modern and contemporary art in New York were about to begin, Christie’s announced that it was going deeper into dealer territory. Not with that headline, of course. The press release was titled CHRISTIE’S OPENS NEW ART SPACE IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER, and it said that architect Annabelle Selldorf, whose work can be seen in many NYC commercial galleries as well the renovated Clark Art Institute, had designed the new galleries. There are four of them, plus five private viewing rooms, occupying a total of 11,000 square feet.
And while they may be occasionally seconded to show art on the auction block, these galleries (called the West Galleries, at left) are intended for year-round exhibitions that will encourage private treaty sales.
Christie’s has had exhibition space in Rockefeller Center before, but it was for the shut-down Haunch of Venison gallery on the 20th floor, reached by a separate entrance. These galleries will share Christie’s main entrance on W. 49th St.–underscoring the fact that Christie’s isn’t just an auction house. They’re there when you want to buy or sell art.
I talk about this and go into more detail–such as how this business is steadily, though slowly growing since 2007 shown in a chart that goes back to 2000–in an article I wrote for Art-Antiques-Design.
Vivian Pfeiffer, the director of private sales in the Americas for Christie’s, told me that private sales will be up 20 to 25% in 2014, sending the total to about $1.4 billion. Would that top Gagosian’s gross revenues? I would think perhaps yes.
Pffeifer and Christie’s reveal a few more secrets in my piece, so have a look.
Christie’s will start exhibiting in the new space in late January, with a show on American Modernism. It plans to announce more of its program soon, I was told.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Christie’s